Republicans don't give a crap about you. That's the message to take away from this crappy bailout deal--that if you've been stuck by medical bills, by the loss of a job, by a predatory lender, by any situation where you're about to go into bankruptcy and lose your house, the Republican party is giving you the finger and wants you to sit and spin on it.

HELP FOR TROUBLED HOMEOWNERS. They [Democrats] failed in an effort to give judges the power to modify mortgage terms for people who have filed for bankruptcy and Democrats were unable to get approval for part of any profits the government might receive to go to help people facing mortgage defaults.

That's the part of the bailout bill that Republicans fought hardest against. Congressional oversight? Not a problem (which is amazing considering the utterly crappy job Republicans did on that front for the last eight years, and that we're likely to have a Democratic President in 4 months or so). Restrictions on executive pay and golden parachutes? Sure--throw that in there. Giving taxpayers a cut of any profits these companies make in the near future? Awesome idea.

But give a judge the option to change mortgage terms for people who are going through bankruptcy? Nope--went to the wall for that.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating--if you're not rich, and I mean filthy, stinking, don't-know-how-many-houses-you-own rich, and you vote Republican, you're a moron, because that party doesn't care about you or what you're going through in your day-to-day life.The Democrats will at least pay you lip service and throw an occasional bone your way, but the Republicans will kick you in the ribs for even daring to sniff at the bone.

Don't be a sucker this November. It's especially important down here in Florida, because we don't have an income tax. We do better as a state when homeownership is high, so having bankruptcy judges able to keep people in their houses would be a good thing for us. But Republicans don't want that, because they're more concerned with the outsized profits of the financial services industry than they are with the working or middle classes.